This invention relates to a stringed musical instrument and, more particularly, to an electric stringed musical instrument with a frame.
A violin, viola, cello and double-bass are members of the violin family, and the violin family is essential musical instruments of an orchestra. A standard cello is of the order of 120 centimeters, and is twice longer than a standard violin. The standard cello is four times wider than the standard violin. The double-bass is of the order of 2 meters long, and is almost twice as long as the cello. The compass of a stringed musical instrument is dependent on the length of the string, the specific gravity of the string and the tension exerted on the string. The longer the string is, the lower the pitched part is. For this reason, the compass of the cello is lower than that of the violin, and is higher than that of the double-bass.
The string player puts the body of the violin between the chin and the shoulder, and holds the neck with the left hand. The string player takes the bow with the right hand, and plays the violin. The string player plays the viola in a similar manner. However, the string players stand the cello and the double-bass on a floor. The string player sits on a chair, and puts the cello between the knees. The cello inclines toward the string player, and the body and/or the neck are put on the chest and/or shoulder, and bows the strings. The double-bass is usually played by a string player standing on a floor.
The body is an essential component part of the bowed stringed musical instrument of the violin family, and a resonator is formed in the body. A neck projects from the body, and strings are stretched over the neck and the body. When a player bows the strings, the strings vibrate, and the vibrations are propagated to the body. The body also vibrates for generating tones, and the resonator makes the tones loud. Thus, the bowed stringed musical instrument generates the loud tones through the resonator. Lower pitched tones require a large resonator. For this reason, the double-bass has the largest body in the violin family. A stringed musical instrument with a resonator is hereinbelow referred to as xe2x80x9cacoustic stringed musical instrument.xe2x80x9d The violin, the viola, the cello and the double-bass described hereinbefore are categorized in the acoustic stringed musical instrument.
The acoustic bowed stringed musical instruments are prominently used in an orchestra. Although other orchestra members generate tones through other musical instruments in a symphony, the other tones do not drown the tones from the acoustic bowed stringed musical instruments, and the audience can discriminate the tones of the acoustic bowed stringed musical instruments from the other tones in a concert hall. Thus, the string player appreciates the resonator for the loudness. However, the loud tones are often a nuisance to the neighborhood. The string players feel it difficult to seek a practice room.
Although the loudness is reduced to some degree with muted strings, it is impossible to keep the acoustic stringed musical instruments silent during the practice. If the resonator were removed from the acoustic stringed musical instrument, the string player would practice the acoustic stringed musical instrument anytime anywhere. However, the resonator or the body is a delicate component part of the acoustic stringed musical instrument. For this reason, the acoustic stringed musical instrument is indecomposable.
In this situation, manufacturers for musical instruments offer electric stringed musical instruments such as an electric cello and an electric double-bass. Any acoustic resonator is not incorporated in the electric stringed musical instruments. While a string player is playing a tune on the electric stringed musical instrument, the vibrations of the strings are converted to an electric signal by means of a pick-up, and an electronic circuit imparts an appropriate envelope to the electric signal so as to give the tones the timbre close to that of the acoustic double-bass. The electric signal is supplied to a sound system, and the unique tones are produced in the sound system. The loudness is easily changeable. In fact, the loudness is drastically reduced to a tenth, and the acoustic energy is of the order of a hundredth. The four strings of a prior art electric stringed musical instrument are averaged at xe2x88x9220 dB. The drastically reduced loudness is as faint as whispers of human voice. Using the electric stringed musical instrument, the string player practices a tune at his or her home anytime.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show the prior art electric bowed stringed musical instrument. The prior art electric bowed stringed musical instrument is corresponding to the acoustic double-bass, and is hereinbelow referred to as xe2x80x9celectric double-bassxe2x80x9d. The prior art electric double-bass is designated in its entirety by reference numeral 1.
The prior art electric double-bass 1 comprises a trunk 2, four strings 3 and a framework 4. The width of the trunk 2 is increased from the lower end to an intermediate portion, and is decreased from the intermediately portion toward the upper end. In other words, the trunk 2 slightly bulges. The trunk 2 is broken down into a relatively thick base, a relatively thin neck and a fingerboard 2a. The relatively thick base portion is integral with the neck. The fingerboard 2a is laminated on the relatively thin neck, and extends over the relatively thick base.
A peg box 4 is formed in the relatively thin neck of the trunk 2, and is provided with a scroll 5. Four pegs 7 are rotatably supported by the peg box 4. The four pegs 7 are associated with the four strings 3, respectively. The peg box 4, the scroll 5 and the pegs 7 are similar to those of the acoustic double-bass. A tail piece 8 is anchored to the lower end of the trunk 2, and is gradually spaced from the other end portion of the trunk 2 toward the fingerboard 2a. A nut 9a is embedded into the upper end of the fingerboard 2a, and another bridge 9b is upright to the trunk 2. The four strings 3 extend between the pegs 7 and the tail piece 8. The four strings 3 are anchored to the tail piece 8, and are wound on the associated pegs 7. The nut 9a and the bridge 9b give tension to the strings 3. Thus, the four strings 3 are stretched over the fingerboard 2a and the trunk 2.
The framework 4 is broken down into a yoke 4a and a shaping board 4b. The yoke 4a is fixed to the trunk 2, and projects from a side surface of the trunk 2. The yoke 4a is shaped like a part of the side board of the acoustic double-bass defining the resonator together with the soundboard. The shaping board 4b is fixed to the other side surface of the trunk 2, and sideward projects from the trunk 2. The shaping board 4b is curved like the outline of a half of the body forming a part of the acoustic double-bass. The shaping board 4b is connected at both ends thereof to the side surface of the trunk 2, and is spaced from the trunk 2 between the connected portions. Any soundboard is not put over the space between the trunk 2 and the shaping board 4b. For this reason, any resonator is not formed in the prior art electric double-bass.
While a string player is bowing for playing the prior art electric double-bass, the shaping board 4b and the yoke 4a are held in contact with player""s body for keeping the attitude of the prior art electric double-bass. For this reason, the shaping board 4b and the yoke 4a are shaped like the body of an acoustic double-bass.
An end-pin 10 projects from the lower end of the trunk 2. The end-pin 10 is retractable into the trunk 2. The end pin 10 is pressed against a floor so that the prior art double-bass is maintained over the floor by the string player. Though not shown in the figures, a pick-up unit is provided on the trunk 2, and vibrations of the strings 3 are converted to an electric signal. The pick-up unit is connected to an electronic circuit (not shown), and the electric signal is supplied from the pick-up unit to the electronic circuit. The electronic circuit shapes the electric signal into an audio signal representative of the tones close to those of the acoustic double-bass. The audio signal is supplied to a sound system (not shown), and tones are produced from the audio signal through the sound system. The sound system includes a headphone, and the string player hears the tones through the headphone. Since the prior art electric double-bass does not have any resonator, the strings 3 merely generate faint tones, and the faint tones are not a nuisance to the neighborhood.
Although the prior art electric double-bass is narrower than the acoustic double-bass, the prior art electric double-bass is so large that the string player feels the prior art electric double-bass bulky. In other words, a problem is encountered in the prior art electric double-bass in the portability. The manufacturer makes an electric double-bass on an experimental basis. The manufacturer eliminates the shaping board 4b from the prior art electric double-bass. However, the electric double bass made on the experimental basis is unstable. While a string player is bowing, the trunk is liable to turn around the end pin. Thus, there is a trade-off between the prior art electric double-bass and the electric double-bass made on the experimental basis.
It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide an electric stringed musical instrument, which is improved in portability without sacrifice of the stability.
To accomplish the object, the present invention proposes to make a framework detachable.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stringed musical instrument comprising a body without a resonator and separable into plural parts, a neck projecting from the body, strings stretched over the body and the neck and an electric sound generating system associated with the strings for generating electric tones on the basis of vibrations produced in the strings.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stringed musical instrument comprising a trunk, a detachable framework sideward projecting from the trunk, at least one coupling unit connecting the detachable framework to the trunk without forming a resonator, strings stretched over the trunk and independently producing vibrations by a player and an electric sound generating system associated with the strings for producing electric tones on the basis of the vibrations.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stringed musical instrument comprising a trunk elongated in a first direction, a detachable framework projecting from the trunk in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, coupling units for connecting the detachable framework to the trunk without forming a resonator, a peg box formed in one end portion of the trunk, pegs supported by the peg box and independently rotatable with respect to the peg box, a fingerboard attached to one end portion of the trunk, a tail piece connected to the other end portion of the trunk, strings stretched over the fingerboard between the pegs and the tail piece and independently producing vibrations by a player, a nut and a bridge respectively attached to the fingerboard and the trunk so as to pass the strings thereover and an electric sound generating system having a pickup unit supported by the trunk for converting the vibrations to electric detecting signals, an electric circuit connected to the pickup unit for producing an audio signal through a signal processing and a sound system connected to the electric circuit for generating electric tones from the audio signal.